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Santa's got the sack...

…because industrious online elves can now source original gifts, from art prints to vintage decanters, and deliver them, sleigh-free, at the click of a mouse. Dipal Acharya meets the companies taking the chaos out of Christmas shopping

Culture Label: the culture vultures

For Art fans and gallery buffs who can’t afford a real Matisse but would like to have a signed print.

The elves During their time working for the government agency Arts & Business, co-founders Peter Tullin and Simon Cronshaw had a ‘lightbulb moment’: ‘It was the week that Mark Leckey won the Turner Prize. It had been all over the newspapers but we found there were still first-edition works of his on the market for less than £200. Given that at that time Ikea was one of the biggest retailers of affordable art, we thought there was a serious gap that could be filled and the internet would help people like Mark reach the audience he deserved.’

In the sack Today, Culture Label sells Peter Blake and Tracey Emin originals, as well as the work of emerging artists straight out of the RCA, and gallery merchandise.

The grotto Less than a minute’s walk from Shoreditch Overground, Culture Label is based over two floors. Upstairs, the 25-strong team attends to the brand’s flourishing e-commerce site, while the ground floor provides the perfect venue for private views. Exhibitors from the past year include the graphic artist Storm Thorgerson, the man responsible for Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd’s iconic album covers.

No job too big The Own Art Online scheme offers customers the opportunity to buy an artwork and spread interest-free payments over ten months; corporate partners in the scheme include the Whitechapel Gallery, the Barbican and Newcastle’s Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.

culturelabel.com

Cult Beauty: the beauty junkies

For Beauty buffs looking for industry insiders’ favourite products.

The elves Former PR girl Alexia Inge teamed up with Jessica DeLuca in 2008 to launch the site from DeLuca’s Islington basement. The impetus behind the brand was to guide women through the website with the help of professionals at the top of their fields — ‘It’s like virtually sitting down with Angelina’s make-up artist, Demi’s hairstylist, or Queen Rania’s facialist and picking their brains.’

In the sack Offering cult beauty brands such as Aesop, Perricone MD and DJV Beautenizer, is only part of the story. On the site, customers can peruse demo videos, the girls’ blogs and product reviews by their celebrity chums (we’re guessing it helps that Alexia’s sister is the model Olivia Inge).

The grotto Currently above Earls Court’s the Troubadour, the duo are planning to move east to Clerkenwell — ‘We will really miss having our meetings in the Troub with their rocket-fuel Italian coffee and colourful clientele (especially the gentleman with the powder-blue safari shorts suit and tartan knee-high socks).’

No job too big In addition to occasional stints hand-delivering items to valued customers, the site’s most helpful service in the run-up to Christmas will be connecting customers with the site’s 50-strong panel of experts — just email experts@cultbeauty.co.uk for personal recommendations (this service is ideal for men looking to impress their lady friends).

cultbeauty.co.uk

Gift Lab fashionable luxury

For Luxury gift ideas for fashion-focused shoppers.

The elf Carmen Busquets, the online entrepreneur who founded sister site Couture Lab and was a major founding investor of Net-a-porter. Rumour has it Busquets was instrumental in the sale of Net-a-porter to the Richemont group for a whopping £350 million, so we know that her latest venture will be one to watch.

In the sack Overseen by Sojin Lee, previously commercial director at Net-a-porter, the eclectic mix of brands available include Anya Hindmarch, McQueen, Fornasetti, Jawbone, Dunhill, Orlebar Brown, Georg Jensen and Missoni Home. Items are categorised For Her, For Him, By Occasion, By Brand and By Price and products can be delivered to 158 countries within 72 hours — handy for friends and family based abroad.

The grotto Wander down a cobbled mews in the heart of Belgravia and you’ll find Gift Lab HQ in a Grade II-listed building (which was once one of the last working stables in the borough). Renovated in the 1990s by Andrée Putman for Connolly, the leather experts, it is also home to the Couture Lab team. Next spring, Busquets plans to open a New York branch.

No job too big ‘One client recently told us to choose gifts for 300 of their closest friends, colleagues and family. We were simply provided with their names, ages and sex, and then asked to ship the gifts worldwide. It’s great that our clients trust our taste and experience in this way,’ says Carmen.

giftlab.com

Made the interior saviours

For furniture fans who don’t want their interiors to suffer in the recession.

The elves All hailing from Paris, partners Ning Li, Chloe Macintosh and Julien Callède launched Made in March 2010, after recognising the need for affordable, beautifully designed furniture.

In the sack Furniture with a designer aesthetic but without the middleman mark-up (thanks to a business model that collates group orders every seven days and only manufactures when a sufficient number is reached). The Economist has described the company as oozing ‘the upmarket street cred that comes with a no-logo attitude’ and the online live-tracking system could prove a godsend for those last-minute orders.

The grotto Based on the ninth floor of a 1960s tower block on Notting Hill Gate, the team opened their present office and showroom during September’s London Design Festival. With the building proving to be a hub for young dotcom startups —neighbours include My Deco and flash sale site Secret Sale — plans to convert the premises into luxury apartments have been put on the backburner.

No job too big When the company first set up, its hero product was a Steuart Padwick Stroller desk, marked down from £3,000 to £300. When a disgruntled customer was delivered a damaged version, the creative director personally sourced, delivered and assembled a replacement in their home.

made.com

Vintage Seekers the antique roadsters

For Dapper gents and retro girls.

The elves When co-founders and couple Lucy Evans (owner of fashion PR company Dust) and Rob Keylock, a former luxury sports car dealer and property developer, first met at the Goodwood Revival Festival in the late 2000s, they realised that the classic combination of cars and fashion was not enough for the discerning vintage collector looking for a more comprehensive approach. Evans and Keylock have since painstakingly sourced their items — from clothing and artwork to furniture and jewellery — from UK and American collectors and Paris antique fairs, to build up a quirky online emporium that launched in October 2010.

No job too big The website also offers a concierge Seeker Service for free — recent finds have ranged from a 1942 Willys Jeep in pristine condition for an Italian collector via a private collection in Surrey, and four original Christian Dior dresses for an atelier owner based in Poland, via a specialist fashion dealer in London.